President Theodore Roosevelt

President Theodore Roosevelt became president upon the death of William McKinley due to McKinley’s
assassination in 1901. Roosevelt was only 42 years old and is still the youngest man ever elected to the
presidency. The February 2024 Presidential Scholars Ranking has placed him fourth, after Lincoln, FDR,
Washington.

Conservation

Some of President Theodore Roosevelt’s policies are very relevant in 2025. It is hard to believe that we are still arguing over the nuances of conservation, separation of church and state, freedom of speech, the Panama Canal, and campaign finance after 125 years. Roosevelt was a sickly child and sought to overcome his health problems by engaging in a strenuous lifestyle. One of the activities he did was spend time on a cattle ranch in the West where he developed a strong love of the outdoors. This love would lead to his conservation efforts.

Some of the accomplishments and policies of Theodore Roosevelt are:

• Responsible for 230 million acres of public lands Established five national parks,
  150 national forests, 51 bird refuges
• Stopped logging and mining on federal lands
• Helped establish the National Park Service, US Forest Service, National Monument Act

Strong Foreign Policy

Roosevelt was an advocate for a strong foreign policy as he coined the term “speak softly and carry a big stick.” He also used the term “bully pulpit” referring to the advantage of being a spokesperson for the US. He was rewarded with his image on Mount Rushmore. His policies generally embraced a progressive movement and became known as the “Square Deal.” A few examples of his policies and ideas are:

• He argued for the construction of the Panama Canal
• Worked for antitrust laws and consumer protection
• Favored making the courts more responsive to public opinion
• Wanted to lead his own brigade during WWI (he was turned down)

Separation of Church & State

He was described as “a moralizer and preacher,” as an ecumentist who accepted Catholica and Jews as a champion of separation of church and state. Roosevelt became the first President to appoint a Jew, Oscar Straus, to a cabinet position as Secretary of Commerce and Labor. He supported Utah Senator Reed Smoot, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in an effort of support against the Senate to expel him on the basis of Smoot’s religion. Roosevelt wanted “in God We Trust” removed from some coins, but the Senate overruled him. He opposed Bible reading in religious non-homogenous public schools where authorities would have to decide which version to choose.

Campaign Finance Regulations

The first federal law regulating campaign finance, The Tilman Act of 1907, was adopted during Roosevelt’s administration, banning some corporate contributions to federal elections.

Roosevelt Penned Essay on Lincoln and Free Speech

In May of 1918, Roosevelt said the following in the article in Metropolitan Magazine:

“Patriotism means to stand by the country, it does not mean to stand by the President, or any
other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is
patriotic to support him so far as he efficiently serves the county. It is unpatriotic to oppose him
to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country.”

“The authors of the first amendment to the Federal Constitution guaranteeing the right of
assembly and of freedom of speech and of the press did not thus safeguard those right for the
sake alone of persons who were to enjoy them, but even more because they knew that the
Republic which they were founding could not be worked on any other basis.”

“Since Marshall tried Burr for treason it has been clear that the crime cannot be committed by
words unless one acts as a spy or gives advice to the enemy of military or naval operations. It
cannot be committed by statements reflecting upon officers of measures of government.”

Roosevelt Cultivated the Press

Recognizing the increasing importance of reporters, Roosevelt was more accessible to the press than any of his predecessors and he did much to cultivate its members. He was the first president to create a room for the press on the first floor of the White House and later designated a room in the newly created west wing where the press could call in their stories rather than having to send them by couriers.